My hand that had been holding his dropped limply.
"I carefully picked up that baby and headed for a high place. All that time, strangely, the small baby didn't cry, didn't struggle, just quietly looked at my face and remained still. Finally, when I reached the high place, just as I was about to fall, that small, endlessly fragile being puckered its tiny lips and said to me, 'Papa'."
"...Papa."
"The moment I heard those words, I realized what a terrible thing I had been about to do. Just like the day I couldn't achieve my dream, I cried endlessly. And at the same time, I realized. Ah, for this child... I am here now."
I asked in a cautious voice.
"Could it be... that baby's name is..."
"It's probably the name you're thinking of. From that day on, I started living a completely new life. Whenever I see Lea, I always feel sorry, and I also want to tell her how incredibly grateful I am. Lea is, right now, the most precious being in the world to me."
"I see..."
"But recently, it seems my daughter has been showing quite a bit of affection and interest in you. I don't know if she has any other close friends, but whenever she opens her mouth, it's all about you. This morning too, as soon as she woke up, she was talking about you. She chews on your name more than her food."
"Uh..."
I felt his gaze, which had been directed towards the void in the darkness, slowly turn towards me. I flinched involuntarily and took a step back.
"Honestly, I don't like you. You, on the Devil's Fangs... No, this isn't something I should speak carelessly about. Anyway, I'll say this bluntly just once. Whoever you are, anyone who dares to make Lea cry, I will eliminate them, no matter what it takes."
The sudden eruption of chilling killing intent made it impossible for me to even breathe properly. My eyes widened involuntarily, and every muscle in my body tensed as if pricked by needles. A terrifying premonition that a person could die from killing intent alone pierced my entire being.
"Yes, I'm sorry. I went a bit too far. I promise I won't say such uncomfortable things again. When people get old, they tend to talk unnecessarily long. It's all worry if you think about it, but it must be quite annoying for the listener. Especially for you. So, just consider what I said today as nonsense. Instead, don't tell that nonsense to anyone else. If misunderstandings start to pile up, that's when it becomes a real problem. Let's just call this a request. It would feel bad if it sounded like an order."
My whole body was stiff as a stone, making it difficult to even move, but I barely managed to nod my head slowly up and down.
"Good, keep that request."
***
With his overwhelming aura, as if he would fiercely attack at any moment, I instinctively raised the greatsword in a defensive posture, holding it diagonally.
"A few days ago, my daughter was crying alone in her room. It had been... a really long time since she cried like that. No, it would be more accurate to say she had never shown such a side before. She was usually a kid who pretended everything was okay, like she had overcome everything. A kid who wouldn't change her expression over trivial matters and would just laugh it off as if nothing happened. That kind of kid was crying, silently, unable to hold it back anymore. I won't bother telling you what I felt that day. But you know, the only person I know who could break her heart to that extent... it's just you."
"..."
The strong and resolute image of Lea that she had shown in front of me might have been a facade for my sake. As the realization dawned on me, I momentarily forgot the desperate reality before my eyes, and my chest tightened with a heavy feeling, my eyes stinging.
"Lea..."
While I was lost in deep remorse, a cold voice came from right in front of me.
"Ah, you remember now? You're slow, but at least you don't forget pathetically. Then, die."
"Huh? Ah! Wait a minute...!"
Lea's father charged at me with unbelievable speed!
*Swish-swish-swish-swish-swish-thwack-!*
Reflexively, I raised the greatsword I had obtained from the Devil's Fangs, which was in my left hand, high up and forcibly supported the blade with my right hand to prepare for the impact.
*Clang-ang!*
Along with an ear-splitting explosive sound, a tremendous shock was transmitted to my wrist. A heavy pain, as if struck by a blunt weapon, traveled up my arm and pressed down on my chest. It felt like I had been kicked.
The moment I lost my balance and staggered from the sudden impact, a fierce fist flew towards my face. I saw the fist connect with my left eye with my right, so there was absolutely no way to dodge it.
*Thwack!!*
I screamed from the intense pain, as if my face was being torn to shreds and the blood vessels in my eye were bursting.
"Aaaaaaaargh!!!"
But that desperate scream didn't last long. A strong kick landed on my stomach, and along with extreme pain as if my waist was being bent 90 degrees, a violent wave of nausea washed over me.
Something hot surged up from inside me and splattered on the floor. But Lea's father, who was right in front of me, really just inches away, instantly dodged the accidental vomit and stood calmly beside me as if nothing had happened.
'What on earth... How are his reflexes like that? He completely dodged something I didn't even anticipate, even after seeing it?'
"If you're going to block so clumsily, you might as well just dodge. You're completely unprepared for the next attack."
Even as my stomach churned from the violent vomiting, my throat parched, and my ribs creaking in agony, I barely managed to squeeze out my voice.
"Fa... Father, I was wrong. I was really... wrong."
"Already saying you were wrong? Do you really think so?"
"Yes... I... I was wrong."
"If you're truly repentant, then receiving punishment would be the next step, wouldn't it? No, if you were truly sincere... shouldn't you be asking for punishment?"
"No, but that's a death sentence, isn't it? So... I know this is shameless, but before I die, could you please let me see Lea one last time, just once?"
"Why should I let you see my daughter?"
If I said the wrong thing here, I might really never see Lea again. Her father was thoroughly on Lea's side. If so, I had to persuade him not from my perspective, but from Lea's.
"If I can't see Lea like this, she'll only know that I died horribly on the Devil's Fangs. Then... Lea will be too deeply saddened."
Since it was one of my desperate reasons for wanting to see Lea, the answer flowed out without hesitation.
"You claim to know her heart so well, yet in the end, you abandoned Lea with your own two feet and threw yourself into the Devil's Fangs. I suppose that was your way of showing affection?"
The voice that reached me hadn't grown louder than before, but the chilling anger within it had become even more menacing.
"I... I was losing my own identity. I couldn't understand why I was living. I thought if I went there... I could find my true self that I had lost."
"..."
Hearing my words, her father remained silent for a long time, taking no action. Surely, the meaning embedded in my words, hinting at his painful past, must have struck a nerve.
"I too, once committed a similar foolish act. I understand your feelings, just a little. You might be the me of the past."
"Then!"
Clinging to a sliver of hope, I quickly lifted my head. But what I saw was his face, contorted and engulfed in an even deeper and more immense flame of anger.
"It's infuriating. Infuriating. I lost everything because of that foolish act, and you're going to make up for it with just that kind of excuse?"
"...Uh-uhm."
"Still, for the sake of the bond you've had with Lea until now, I'll give you a chance. If you can land even a single proper hit on me, you can see her."
A small hope unknowingly made the corners of my mouth twitch upwards slightly.
'Right. Just one hit. It's incredibly slim, but it's not entirely without a chance. I don't even need a powerful move. If I can just hit him accurately with a small motion...'
"Your expression has softened?"
"Ah, no. No... I'm sorry."
I slowly rose to my feet, firmly gripping the heavy greatsword that had turned a deep black.
'It would have been nice if even a little of this greatsword's power remained. I don't know if the sword's energy was completely depleted and turned black, or if the blacksmith broke it while disassembling it, but since then, no flames have been emitted at all. Now, it's just a heavy greatsword.'
"Alright, here I come."
"Don't speak. Even if you try a cowardly and despicable surprise attack to bite me, you won't have a chance, though."
"..."
Following his advice, I silently created some distance, then swung the sword wide horizontally with all my might. Her father instantly ducked, avoiding the threatening attack, and simultaneously closed the distance between us like an arrow.
In the middle of my sword swing, I lifted my foot and threw a clumsy kick.
The form was unsightly, and the power was pathetic, but my goal wasn't to knock him down; a single effective hit was enough for me. Not only did her father lightly twist his upper body to dodge the kick, but he also accurately struck the joint beside my kneecap with his elbow.
My posture already unstable, I lost my balance helplessly along with the dizzying, intense impact and tumbled to the ground.
After that, what entered my blurry vision was the sole of his sturdy shoe.
*Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!*
I tried to block with my arm, but I couldn't regain my senses from the merciless stomping that felt like my entire arm was being bent and crushed. Barely managing to grip the sword again and raise its edge, I rolled sideways with all my might, just managing to create some distance between myself and her father.
With my face pressed against the ground, I looked back in the direction I had just been. A hideous figure, exuding killing intent, was rushing towards me like an arrow, ready to cut off my breath at any moment.
"Ugh-aaat!"
I urgently tried to get up, but I couldn't properly maintain my balance and my body leaned back heavily due to the sword's weight. Even then, a fierce attack flew towards me, and I desperately extended the sword's surface forward, barely managing to block it.
*Tang-!! Thwack!!*
The tremendous impact sent my body flying backward, and my head slammed hard against a solid wall. I felt a sharp pain as if my scalp was tearing, and a warm liquid trickled down the back of my neck. I plunged the greatsword into the ground to barely support my swaying body.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Gasping for breath, I laboriously pulled the greatsword embedded in the ground and extended it forward, then pulled it back towards my chest, taking a defensive stance.
Then, slowly widening and narrowing my severely trembling legs, I slowly stepped backward to create distance.